Fear of "something"...

Wow, I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last post.  I need to get back into the swing of things, and I'm thinking about vlogging future posts.  I have been struggling with the raw food diet, my emotions, and plans for the future.  There are many things I want to change in my life, and I'm not sure what's holding me back.  Is it fear of failure?  Fear of success?  Fear of being judged by others?  Not loving myself enough?  Not feeling like I deserve to be happy, healthly and successful?  Fear of emotions surfacing?  I don't know.  Part of my trouble I know is that I tend to hold onto a lot of guilt.  I'm not sure why I can't just put the past behind me and stop beating myself up for past mistakes, for not being further towards my goals then I think I should be.  I know I'm too hard on myself, but I can't seem to shake that feeling.  If I could just figure out what's holding me back maybe I could fix it...

Blessings,

Debra

Emotions and Raw Food

It really is amazing what a difference even a small change in diet can make. The past few days I had mostly been eating high raw. Andrew (my hubby) had been taking very good care of me and making me lots of big salads and smoothies. I had noticed some changes in how I was feeling mentally & emotionally this past week. I was feeling better about myself and those around me. Then yesterday was an "off" day and I had eaten too much cooked food, and I noticed last night I was feeling down and emotional again. Gee, do you think there's a connection between the food we eat and how we feel? ;) I could sit here and beat myself up about not eating well yesterday, but I'm not going to. Why? Simply because this experience has taught me a lot, and that's a good thing. I'm actually becoming grateful for all that I've been through lately. The past few days have solidified for me how awesome a raw food lifestyle is and what it can do for me. I now know so much about the difference in how I feel when I'm eating cooked/processed food, and how wonderful I start to feel when I eat raw, fresh foods. The difference is crystal clear now, and so is the path I'm meant to be on. It's the easiest choice ever. Or should I say "The Best Choice Ever!". Raw foodists everywhere will get that one. Did you get it? ;)

I'm feeling a sense of urgency, and that I don't want to waste any more time. There is SO much I want to accomplish, and I have a lot of goals I want to work towards. They've taken a back seat for far too long. The best thing I can do right now to get myself moving is to get right back to raw foods and that will make me feel better again, and better enable me to work on my other goals. So, again my plans for the weekend are to get organized. I hope to have a menu-planning session with a friend. I need to plan my food more so I don't get super-hungry and end up grabbing something I really don't want to be eating. I also want to make some food up that my daughter can take to school for lunches. The school is nut-free so it makes it more difficult. She likes salad so I do veggie salads and fruit salads, but she doesn't always want them and I don't force her. She's doing well on raw foods, so I just need to find a couple more things for variety that I can alternate salads with, and some more raw snacks, and then I can get rid of the rest of the non-raw food in the house. That will be a fun day. :)

Friday's Question: Do you have goals that you'd like to be working towards, but have been taking a back burner lately? What do you think would help you to move it to the front lines?

Happy emotions to all,
Debra

Raw Cheesecake for health!

Woke up this morning not feeling well. I was perfectly fine last night so was not expecting it at all. Overall I'm feeling very weak so my body is clearly fighting something, and my sinuses are congested. I have zero energy, not fun. I don't know where we picked up this bug, but hopefully will feel better tomorrow. Managed about 50% raw today. It's been kind of a wake-up call that I clearly need to continue improving my health so I can better ward off illnesses such as these. As well as a host of other reasons of course. So... I'm going to start logging my raw food intake for each day, like I said I was going to. ;-) I'll also share some recipes where I can, or state the source and let you know what book or website the recipe is from so you can track them down if they look good to you.

Raw goodness consumed today:
- Large salad with mixed baby greens and cherry tomatoes
- raw cheesecake (recipe below!!)
- my favourite raw cacao shake concoction... mmmmmm.

Lemony Cheesecake (raw vegan)


We have tried a few different raw cheesecake recipes floating around on the web, and this is our version, taking little bits of different recipes and creating our own. I usually make two of these at a time, so I don't have to make them as often. We usually have at least one of these in the freezer. :)

For the crust:
2 cups almonds
1 cup dates

For the cheese:
3 cups cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour)
3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
3/4 cup raw honey
3/4 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil (when liquid, see 2nd step)
1/2 cup water
1/3 vanilla bean (seeds only) or 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

For the berry sauce:
3 cups frozen berries
1/2 cup dates or 1/4 cup honey

Directions:

• Soaking the cashews makes them nice and soft, and will help make the cheese smooth, so do try to soak them for a full hour before you start the recipe, if possible. So, if they're not in water yet, get those cashews in some water first! :)
• Scoop out a little over 3/4 cup of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup, and place measuring cup in a few inches of very warm water, but not reaching the top of the measuring cup. You could do this in the sink or in a large bowl. This is to warm the coconut oil from a solid to a liquid. Stir every couple of minutes while you make the crust, and it will melt faster. If your house is very warm, and your coconut oil is already liquid, you get to skip this step!
• Place ingredients for crust in a food processor, and process until fine. Press crust mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
• Check your coconut oil, and double-check measurement once it's all melted.
• Put all ingredients for cheese into food processor, and process at high speed until very smooth. Adjust to taste.
• Pour mixture onto crust. Tap the pan on your countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
• Put cheesecake in freezer until firm, at least 3 hours, but I usually do it overnight. The freezer step is important because it sets the mixture. Transfer to fridge and it will be ready to eat after about an hour.
• To make the berry sauce, blend or process ingredients until smooth, and adjust to taste. Store in airtight jar in the fridge, and spoon a couple of tablespoons onto slices when serving.

Note: If it's a very hot day, keep in mind that the cheesecake will melt if it's left out, because of the coconut oil, so leave it in the fridge until just before serving, and all will be fine.

Blessings,
Debra